Article as seen in Volkswagen Magazine.
It was the beginning of summer, and a road trip overseas was overdue. The south of France was on our radar, however, with the increased price of fuel, we were unsure whether a road trip of that distance was viable. We considered whether it would be cheaper to fly, rent a property and hire a vehicle, having heard several other vanlifers have similar thoughts regarding the effectiveness of van life in today’s economy.
Here are the points that swayed us:
- The economy of scale. Essentially, the longer you stay, the more the costs of vanlife are spread out. The cost of a two-week road trip to the south of France wouldn’t be much more than the cost of one-week. Whereas on the other hand, renting accommodation and renting a vehicle for an extra week will increase the overall costs significantly.
- Vanlife is about the journey, not the destination. Going by van meant we were able to explore multiple locations along the route. This is not an option when flying to one destination or would have been incredibly expensive. Not only this, but you’re able to explore more rural destinations where things are often cheaper.
- The van is a giant metal suitcase on wheels. There is plenty of storage in the van which meant we could take all our own paddleboards, snorkels and climbing gear, therefore removing the cost of renting gear.
- Lastly, by having your own cooking facilities, fridge, and bed, you’re able to make significant savings in food costs and accommodation, especially if you’re willing to wild camp.
With all this considered, we were thankful to find that the van was still the more cost-efficient method of travel. We were relieved because we don’t just love vanlife for its financial benefits, we love vanlife because the method of travelling suits us well. For starters, it’s an adventure, but we also love the freedom it gives us, and the flexible style of travel that it enables. Furthermore, it allows us to do the activities we love on a timescale that suits us and in locations found off the beaten track.
Who are we? Jamie and Lucy. We are 27 and 26 respectively and live on the south coast of Dorset.
Who is the van? Helm’s Deep. A 1997 1.9TD Volkswagen Transporter (T4).
We took the ferry from Dover to Calais as our Tesco Clubcard vouchers reduced the cost of our ticket significantly. Then, from Calais, we began the long journey to our first port of call, Annecy.
Annecy is a spectacular alpine town on the south-eastern edge of France and sits at the most northerly point of the French alps. At the time of planning, we thought it made the ideal mid-way point for our journey to the south of France, however, it turned out to be a momentous detour. In hindsight, I wouldn’t use this as a stopover again, but it is a must-see if you’re exploring the region and, once we were there, we had an unforgettable time.
The drive from Calais took longer than anticipated and therefore we arrived exceptionally late and with no planned park up. This is the sort of situation that all vanlifers try to avoid, however, sometimes we get lucky and stumble across that perfect park up that we all dream of. Unfortunately, on this occasion, we used an app, which led us to the car park of a cemetery. This was not how we envisioned our first night in France and so we fell asleep feeling a little deflated.
France has Aires all over the country which are free to stay in, however, they’re usually on the side of motorways. The struggle to find suitable park ups was a recurring theme for this trip and I partially blame our use of the app. Although extremely useful, one bad review was enough to make us feel uncomfortable with the choice, and I can’t help but think we would have been better off finding spots for ourselves. Another mistake I always make is looking for a place to stay once I’ve arrived at the destination, yet these are often crowded and far from ideal. I have come to realise that by stopping twenty minutes before you arrive at the destination, you’re more likely to find quieter and more picturesque park ups. I often drive at night so that I can utilise the daytime for exploration, but I realise there is no harm in completing the drive in the morning and enjoying the far better spot for the night. Finally, if your schedule allows, always find your park up before dark because a perfectly good park up can seem a little daunting if you arrive at night.
Anyway, Annecy has a central old town, and a modern city that surrounds it. It can be busy here and was quite overwhelming, so make sure you arrive early and head to one of the car parks ideally situated at the side of the lake. From here, we walked for ten minutes, tracing the edge of the lake to a point where the water converges into a river that flows beautifully through the old towns stunning architecture. Luckily for us, it was a Sunday and Sunday morning is market morning! Here, we walked through the bustling streets and admired the crystal-clear water whilst also being immersed in a huge variety of authentic stalls. We found a coffee and croissant for breakfast, bought a baguette and some cheese for lunch, and then enjoyed an ice cream during our stroll back towards the van.
The van was parked on the lake’s edge, making it extremely convenient to inflate our paddleboards and take them to the water. The slipway and pontoon nearest the car park are the easiest place to access the water because as far as I could tell, much of the lake is private or difficult to access. The lake was a little choppy, but the water was phenomenal. It was warm, clear and had fantastic views of the mountains that surrounded it.
In the evening, we took an evening stroll through the park by Annecy’s old town and stumbled across a tango group dancing in the mild evening ambiance that enveloped us as the sun set behind the mountains. We sat down to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and let out a deep breathe, and smiled as we realised that we were finally easing out of our frantic work brains and settling into the more relaxing travellers frame of mind. We concluded the perfect day with a lakeside dinner before returning to the van to find our next park up. This time we drove out of the city and found a small car park in the woods on the side of the mountain road where we slipped into a deep sleep, content with our first day of travel.
The next day we were enthusiastic to explore Annecy from a different perspective. Having read through some of the options for hikes in the area, of which there were many, we eventually settled on Les Parmelan. The hike was steep but relatively easy, and from the top you’ll be rewarded with exceptional views of Lake Annecy and the surrounding area. Additionally, if you look eastward, you can see Mont Blanc! For this reason, when finding the perfect hike in Annecy, you can’t go wrong with this one. There is even a little food shack at the top called ‘Refuge Du Parmelan’. The place was closed by the time we arrived, however the owner came out with a concerned look on his face as he pointed towards the horizon where dark clouds were approaching.
Our descent was hurried and, for most of it, we were engulfed with cloud. The rain finally hit when we reached the bottom, but we managed to avoid the worst of it, yet the rain was the least of our worries. During the hike I had managed to put the issue to the back of my mind to ensure we enjoyed the day, however, it was getting dark, and we were stuck on the side of the mountain with an overheated engine. Helm’s Deep is a 1997 VW T4 who struggles with hills, especially in hot weather. I normally pull over to let her cool down, but on this occasion, I was three minutes from the start of the mountain hike and decided to push on. The coolant pipe burst, resulting in a stressful evening spent arranging help but to no avail. In the morning, I signed up to the AA’s European break down cover only for them to tell me it wasn’t valid because we’d signed up once we were already on the trip. Frustrated, we took matters into our own hands. Luckily, just around the corner were a few houses, the first of which responded to my plead for assistance. The young man who appeared went to raid his dad’s garage to find the tool I needed to fix the van. Thankfully, the tear in the pipe was near one end and so all I had to do was disconnect the pipe, cut off a small section of it, and then reconnect it. I filled the coolant back up and then we were back on our way.
We could have spent so much more time in the surrounding area of Annecy, however, after two days, we decided to continue our journey south because we were determined to complete our ambitious itinerary.
